Windows Vista from Microsoft. Corp. supports a new XML document format known as XPS (XML Paper Specification) (see “XML Paper Specification”, Oct. 25, 2006, Microsoft Corp., <http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/xps/xpsspecdwn.mspx(XPS—1—0.exe)> [search performed on Jan. 31, 2007]), hereinafter referred to as non-patent document 1). An XPS document has a format which includes three layers which are a FixedDocumentSequence layer, a FixedDocument layer, and FixedPage layer as shown in FIG. 13. The nodes of each layer can be associated with an XML document for storing print attributes (i.e. print settings) called a print ticket (see “Print Ticket and Print Capabilities Support in Windows Print Drivers”, Feb. 15, 2006, Microsoft Corp., <http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/print/XPSDrv_PrintTicket.mspx(XPSDrv_PrintTicket.doc)> [search performed on Jan. 31, 2007], hereinafter referred to as a non-patent document 2). As shown in the example of FIG. 13, a job level print ticket 1304 is associated with the FixedDocumentSequence. A document level print ticket 1305 is associated with the FixedDocument1. A page level print ticket 1306 is associated with the FixedPage1. Since a print ticket can be specified for each node of each layer, XPS documents allow operations such as changing an output paper size for each FixedPage. In an XPS document, by specifying print settings associated with each page (FixedPage) or set of pages (Fixed Document), it is possible exceptional settings can be expressed within a single document.
Some conventional print drivers have a page exceptional setting function which allows print settings differing from the print settings for the overall print job generated by the print driver, to be specified for particular pages. For instance, the PostScript printer driver from Xerox Corp. has a section-specific setting function unit. The section-specific setting function unit provides a function for storing different print settings for each section of a document as a section setting information file. This function may also be employed by hot folders which make use of the printer driver. A hot folder is a folder that has been associated with predefined functions, whereby data put into the folder is subjected to processing according to the sequence of functions associated with the folder.
The PostScript printer driver from Heidelberg Corp. has a function for predetermining exceptional print parameters with respect to basic setting parameters. Consider, for instance, a case in which the exceptional print parameters have been set to give a paper size of A3 and a page layout of 1-up, and the basic setting parameters have been set to give a paper size of A4 and a page layout of 2-up. When the document to be printed has five pages of sizes A4, A4, A3, A4 and A4, the first and second pages of the manuscript are of A4 size and so the layout will be 2-up in accordance with the basic settings. Since the third page of the manuscript is of A3 size, corresponding to an exceptional print parameter, the layout will be 1-up. The fourth and fifth pages are printed in 2-up form in accordance with the basic print settings.
When printing is performed using either of the above-described printer drivers, a method is used in which a user first specifies a page or range of pages on which to perform the exceptional settings, thereby forming partitions. Exceptional settings are then set for the specified partitions using another print setting sheet or dialogue box.
As described in the non-patent document 1, the XPS document has both a spool format, used when printing, and a digital document format used in document distribution and the like. In other words, the XPS document can be used, in a similar way to PDF documents from Adobe Corp., for the publication and distribution of various types of document. For instance, it is possible to create an XPS document having a print ticket (i.e. print settings) associated with the node or nodes of the desired layer, and distribute the XPS document together with the print settings. As the use of XPS documents in digital documents spreads, technologies such direct print which allows documents to be printed without going through a computer, and hot folder which makes use of a computer will become necessary as means to print the digital documents in a simple manner. The hot folder is a folder that is associated with predetermined print settings. When document data is put into the hot folder, functions associated with the folder are executed. Direct print is a function for printing documents using a stand-alone printing device without going through a computer.
When an XPS document is to be printed using a hot folder, the print settings included in the XPS document do not necessarily match the print settings associated with the hot folder. In particular in the XPS document, when exceptional settings exist for a page or set of pages, either the overall print settings or the exceptional print settings will no longer match the hot folder print settings (also referred to as “folder settings”). Note that the “page” corresponds to the “FixedPage”, the “set of pages” corresponds to the “FixedDocument”, and the “overall” corresponds to the “FixedDocumentSequence”.
For instance, the XPS document may be applied in form documents which have a fixed output paper size. For this application, because the form size is fixed, the output paper size must be specified in advance within the XPS document. However, when printer device-dependent settings such as the paper feeder setting are specified using the print tickets, there will be occasions when the paper feeder specified by the destination hot folder print settings and the paper feeder specified using the XPS document fail to match. On such occasions, the paper size setting must follow the print settings in the XPS document, but the paper feeder setting must change flexibly according to the print device.
As a way of solving this problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-293554 discloses a hot folder capable of setting a different print ticket for each set of print data to be printed by specifying print settings in a plurality of subfolders.
However, according to the technology of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-293554, in the case that the document includes print settings in the manner of an XPS document, it is not possible to use these print settings. Hence, when output based on the specific settings included in the XPS document is desired as in the example of the form data, it is not possible to achieve the original output results unless the user knows the print settings specified in the XPS document and switches the hot folder settings accordingly.
Also, when the exceptional settings are specified in the hot folder which outputs in the XPS document format, it is necessary to edit the print ticket of each page. Hence, when the number of pages in the document or the number of exceptional settings becomes large, more work is required to carry out the editing. This leads not only to a decrease in productivity but also to an increase in the risk of mistakes due to human error.
The present invention was conceived looking carefully at the conventional examples with the object of solving the above-described problems. More specifically, the present invention provides a print control device and method capable of handing over, to hot folder settings, a specified level (including or not including exceptions) and specified items from among print settings included in document data of the XPS format or the like.